Said the Butler to the Huntress
by Stewbacca94
Summary: Two months after the Grimm were finally wiped out, Lie Ren's settled comfortably into the role of butler to Dr. Pyrrha Nikos. But however shall he deal with the latest addition to his life? Especially when said addition is an Irish huntress with a predilection for pink clothes, an affinity for fuchsia Dust, and a disturbing love of hammering her enemies? RWBY Belladonna Lilies AU.
1. Salmon Salad

Chapter One: Salmon Salad

January 24, 1890

Lie Ren had it better than he deserved, in his reckoning. As the only ex-member of the Grimm who hadn't disappeared through death or imprisonment, the Hong Kong native had seen a vast change of fortune unparalleled in his twenty-five years. After putting a stop to the Grimm threat, he'd been employed as the butler to Dr. Pyrrha Nikos, and had since taken up residence in the spare bedroom next to her workshop and library/study.

He knew his living conditions would change soon, having been promised a neighbouring set of rooms Coco Adel was to vacate after her wedding next month. Of course, Ren had some idea as to who would move in after he'd moved next door.

As he arose at a quarter to seven that morning, Ren made use of the small washing stand that sat on the interior wall of his quarters. Showering at this hour would only serve to rouse his employer from her much-needed slumber – meaning that he'd abstain until the very second Pyrrha left for Exham Museum.

Having freshened up enough, he donned one of three identical suits that he wore in his official capacity. A white dress shirt was nigh completely hidden by his jacket, tie and trousers; they were all a shade of green so dark, Ren could be mistaken for wearing black tie at a distance. Quietly making his way down to the kitchen, Ren loaded the toaster and filled up the kettle, just as he heard the front door get unlocked.

"Good morning, Coco," he called out.

"Morning, Ren," she called back.

A few seconds later, Coco joined him in the kitchen, holding the Manchester Guardian and the Daily Standard under her left arm and this week's bottles of milk in the right. Given that Pyrrha preferred to observe an issue carefully before developing her opinions, Coco made a point of purchasing at least two papers for Pyrrha to pore over during her breakfast hour. As the toaster released the browned wholemeal and the kettle whistled, Ren's employer made her entrance.

"Good morning, Pyrrha," the pair of staff chorused.

Pyrrha strode in daintily, wearing her tweed skirt and a white shirtwaist, with her usual riding boots and tweed jacket waiting by the front door. Ren had noticed her subtle change in fashion sense, along with the fact that her hair was worn long instead of being tied back like usual. _Clearly_ , he observed, _she's due to see Mr. Arc tonight_.

"Busy tonight, Pyrrha?"

The archaeologist was quick to answer him.

"Actually, I will be engaged tonight. Jaune volunteered to take me for a stroll through Regent's Park before taking me home in his cab."

"How romantic, _ma chère_ ," Coco replied warmly, while Ren nodded with a small smile. _Of course_ , he wondered to himself, _will she be engaged or_ _get_ _engaged tonight?_

* * *

After breakfast, Pyrrha put on her fedora and strode on out to take the next tube to Baker Street for work at the museum. Ren promptly dashed upstairs as Coco began working on the dishes. Locking the bathroom from prying eyes, Ren removed his suit and placed it on the dresser. Showering so that his charcoal locks didn't look ragged and ruffled as always, Ren made good time before he turned off the shower.

Drying his body with a green towel that Pyrrha had bought for him, Ren left only his hair wet. For that, he opted to use a device that Coco had bought him last Christmas – his brand-new hair dryer. Using a miniature crimson Dust generator similar to the one that Miló harboured within its stock, it unleashed a stream of hot air that rendered Ren's long mane dry in a full minute.

"Satisfying," the butler muttered, having slicked back his hair into a ponytail. After getting dressed, Ren began his rounds around the house. He started by making Pyrrha's bed and neatening the rest of the room. This took him a mere ten minutes, such was his rate of work and efficiency. Clambering downstairs, Ren merely ran a feather duster along the shelves of Pyrrha's library and study, along with the benches within the workshop.

Pyrrha had been rather adamant that the "organised mess" in her working rooms should remain that way, even though it would have reflected rather poorly on Ren's records. Still, he had to fight a nagging urge to organise her paperwork and books as he went about the room. Meanwhile, Coco did him a favour by tidying his bedroom.

With Pyrrha having lunch at work as a rule, Ren and Coco weren't required to make sandwiches or do much until four in the afternoon, when the preparations for dinner would commence. Having already done the shopping for the week, Coco took to relaxing with the knitting, while Ren usually read the papers Coco had bought earlier, usually tag-teaming with her for the crosswords when he got to them.

The Standard's headline article that day wrote about Croydon Aerodrome planning to start long-range dirigible flights to New York by way of Inverness, Reykjavik, Nuuk and Newfoundland. Apparently, the SDC had found a means to compress verdant and golden Dust into large batteries that recharged periodically through wind turbines, thus requiring only rest stops for supplies and the like.

 _The economic benefits_ _alone_ _would be immense to each city within the flight path_ , Ren observed, _and it would serve to introduce yet another Dust-powered technology to the Americas_. However, he didn't have enough time to do either of the crosswords with Coco, as he had an appointment to keep. At one that afternoon, Ren alighted at the Baron's Court station, and made his way towards the Sea-King Repairs shop between the stop and Talgarth Road.

* * *

Even though he'd never needed to use them since gaining employment with Pyrrha, Ren felt that his pair of green Reichsrevolvers needed servicing and cleaning. So with the aid of Neptune Vasilias, the blacksmith that Pyrrha had always gone to for repairs to her weapons, he'd had Stormflower brought up to standard. As he entered the shop however, Ren encountered someone he hadn't seen since Christmas.

"... So as I was saying, I ended up wrestling the she-bear to the ground and fed it my last Dust grenade."

"Good heavens," the blacksmith replied. "Whatever did you do next?"

"Well, after the bear was broken, I patched my wounds up, retrieved the amulet that thief placed on the bear's neck, and made my way back to the Rosslare Ferry."

"If that's true," Ren interjected, "then how come there are no scars on your arms or face from the bear?"

Startled, Nora Valkyrie turned to face the man with Magnhild in hand. She dressed with unusual formality for a huntress, wearing an ankle-length rose pink dress and white shirtwaist, with her trademark white fedora firmly affixed on her head. Simply put, Nora looked as though she'd just arrived from the American South. The effect was electric, until her Irish burr and non-demure demeanour completely undermined it.

"O-oh my, didn't see you enter Mr. Lie!", she squeaked.

Timidly, she moved to his left to face both men, who were both smirking at this point.

"And, er, well, to answer your question, it was rather small."

Ren smirked even harder. "I'm sure it was. How are my Reichsrevolvers, Neptune?"

"They're doing well, Ren," the Greek man replied as he fished them out from below his counter. "Got them were they needed to be, and I even replaced the compressed verdant Dust rounds that they need for you."

An uncharacteristically toothy smile spread along Ren's features at this while he retrieved the pistols.

"That's rather generous of you, my friend."

* * *

Ren had no sooner handed Neptune his five-pound fee than he heard a commotion outside. Ren and Nora both peered outside through a window, and beheld six men in black dress and armed with axes. Wearing masks and black top hats, they alighted from a van on the other side of the road, and all of them began to march towards Neptune's shop.

"We'd better step in," Ren muttered.

"Aye," Nora replied.

While Neptune ran into the back of his shop, the pair strode out with weapons in hand, and rushed to engage the brigands. Shifting Magnhild into its launcher form, Nora hung back and blasted fuchsia Dust at the ground between the men. The explosion scored an unsightly mark in the pavement, and the force of the impact knocked the rearmost pair of hoodlums out.

The other four, thrown slightly off-kilter after dodging the Dust blast, found themselves getting shot at by Ren at close range. Two shots out of the initial salvo found their marks, electrocuting two of the assailants into unconsciousness. The last two men grew furious, and the closest one managed to make Ren stumble back by means of a kick to the stomach.

The furthest man, a ginger man with a crew cut, was unexpectedly swept off his feet, courtesy of Nora heartily applying Magnhild to the man's groin. The ginger's resultant yelp and collision with the asphalt caused the other man, who had darkened skin, to turn around with axe in hand, finding himself staring at Nora shifting Magnhild into its launcher form. Behind him, Ren rose to his feet, catching his breath while aiming Stormflower at the back of the thief's head.

At that precise moment, a Black Maria sped around the corner of Talgarth Road. Cursing under his breath, the man dropped his weapon and sprinted forward. Nora fired her launcher at point-blank range, while Ren holstered his guns and attempted to rugby tackle the escaping cad. In a cruel twist of luck, the blast missed everybody involved in the scuffle, only managing to blow a hole in an unsuspecting bird above the tube station.

All the while, Ren's flat feet made him jump at the wrong angle to take the thief … with the end result that the butler bowled Nora over while the dark skinned man picked up his comrade and legged it. The police swarmed out of the van and proceeded to clasp the four unconscious conspirators in handcuffs.

" _Bugger_ ," Nora groaned as she got up.

"The sentiment's shared," Ren observed with equal irritation. As they dusted themselves off, the officer approached them to take statements.

* * *

After the police had left, Ren decided to take his leave and walked back inside Baron's Court Station. However, Nora begged him not to go just yet.

"Please, can't you stay a while longer? I haven't seen hide or hair of you since I went to Ireland after those thieves, and I've missed you all."

Ren's face betrayed no emotion while he thought about it.

"Look Nora, as much as I'd like to stay around with you, I'm afraid I'm due to help prepare dinner for Pyrrha. After all, I _am_ her butler, and I really can't shirk my duties."

Nora's expression shifted from desperation to pure dejection, reminding Ren of a kicked puppy and making him feel strangely wretched. He mentally groaned and groused before caving.

"However, you can visit me when your schedule next allows you to. I'll need to clear it with Pyrrha first, so it won't interfere with my duties, but I'm sure she'll be amenable to the idea."

Nora's cherubic face smiled wider than Ren had ever remembered.

"Splendid!", she exclaimed happily. "I'm usually free on Fridays, so I'll likely come around next week on the 31st. What time works well for you?"

Ren stroked his chin. "Lunchtime, I'd say. Pyrrha's always taken her lunch at work, so me and Coco are usually unoccupied from one to four."

Nora nodded happily, eagerly jotting down the time in a small notebook, then writing her phone number down for Ren and handing it over.

"So it's settled then," the Irishwoman declared. "When Pyrrha has her answer, call me. I haven't got anything else to do today, so I'll be home."

"Very well," Ren calmly replied. "I'll ring sometime during the evening, when Pyrrha gets back from her walk."

"Great!", Nora cheered. "See you then!".

Ren turned to go downstairs, but called back to the huntress.

"By the way, what's your favourite dish?"

"That's always been my mother's salmon salad. It's super easy; just cook up a fresh salmon, dice it, and serve it with lettuce, cucumbers, and vinegar dressing!"

Ren couldn't quite hide the smirk at Nora's overeager speech, and waved goodbye as the train came.

"Very well. _Adieu_ , Nora."

* * *

That night, Ren and Coco had just finished setting dinner when Pyrrha walked in, _radiating_ happiness like an angel. A prefunctory look at her revealed what had happened; her right hand's ring finger bore a band of silver, with a cushion-cut ruby encircled by onyx.

"He proposed!", the archaeologist happily exclaimed.

"Congratulations!", her staff chorused, with Coco hugging her and Ren patting her shoulder.

"Please, join me for dinner," Pyrrha requested.

"Sure thing, _ma chère_ ," replied the housekeeper.

"By the way, Pyrrha," Ren enquired, "is it alright if Miss Valkyrie visits us on Friday afternoon?"

Pyrrha looked upwards in thought for a moment.

"Well, I suppose she can. Be sure to provide her lunch for her trouble."

Ren smiled at his employer.

"Worry not, Pyrrha. I've got that covered."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back!**

 **Just so you guys know, this fourth entry into the Belladonna Lilies AU will get updated infrequently. Also, I'm planning to make this about four or five chapters long, so it'll be quite tiny compared to the other three. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed this first entry for "Said the Butler to the Huntress".**


	2. The Wandering Mistral

Chapter Two: The Wandering Mistral

January 31, 1890

The following week saw an unusual amount of zeal in Ren's activities. Both Pyrrha and Coco noticed that his usually thorough cleaning routines were done with a level of passion and fastidiousness that was seldom seen in the man. But then again, the usually calm man was unusually driven to succeed at keeping a clean house. Pyrrha had chalked it up to him setting the standard he'd deemed acceptable for the family she was to marry into, and Coco was quick to agree with that assessment.

Ren himself had realised that their observation held true in part, but his real reason was to make Nora feel wanted and involved in life – outside the confines of Neptune's shop and the rigours of her bounty hunting. Finally, Ren was polishing the lounge room floor at half past twelve, half an hour before Nora was due to arrive. As he worked, he began to reflect on the crazy Irish lass and what she was to him.

 _Despite the fact her personality and background could not be more different from mine_ , Ren observed thoughtfully, _I sense a kindred spirit of intrigue and adventure within her. After all, we both ventured forth from our childhood homes with plans in our heads, then lived lives that twisted and turned to places beyond our dreams, and we now find ourselves at the centre of a shrinking world where anything can happen_. As Ren stood up to dust his pants off, Coco entered the town house with the shopping done.

"Hello, _ma ch_ _é_ _re_. I've got the ingredients you needed for Nora's visit. Shall I do you the favour of making the salmon salad before I meet Fox for lunch?"

Ren was quick to respond.

"I'll be alright with the cooking, Coco. I've already finished touching up the lounge and watercloset on this floor, and the dining table won't take any time at all to spruce up."

Coco was astonished at his unusually firm tone, and realised that a certain part of the butler's subconscious was being suppressed. Her smile took on the faintest hint of a smirk as she acquiesced to his refusal and placed the bags within his arms.

"Very well. No doubt Nora will enjoy kneeling on a polished floor more than the next woman!"

Ren's face flushed purple with embarrassment as she closed the door with a full smirk plastered on her face, and he strode firmly towards the kitchen to sort out Coco's purchases while preparing to make his guest's lunch.

* * *

The stove that Ren worked with was, like the other powered items within the household, equipped with Dust technology. However, where it differed was in which variety of Dust got used. The smaller appliances within the Nikos household – namely the hairdryers, lights, toaster and kettle – were all powered by a single verdant Dust generator, in tandem with whatever crimson Dust components they required. The ice-box, meanwhile, relied solely on a pair of compressed azure Dust generators, which were so efficient they only needed refilling once a year.

However, the stove worked principally with golden Dust, along with the simple application of matches and a slight boost from the crimson variety. As any learned person knew, golden Dust could manipulate the air around it, and it therefore was used to harness and force air through the oven's vents into a storage tank. From this tank, tubes snaked upward to each of the hotplates and the oven chamber.

From there, the hotplates worked rather like a Bunsen burner in a chemistry laboratory. A hotplate would only turn on when the dial was turned ninety degrees clockwise with a lit match over it; and if one wanted to decrease the heat, turning the dial further clockwise strangled the air flow to the hotplate. And as for the oven, a lone crimson Dust filament along the back was used to heat the air in a convection current, making it a more efficient oven than the wood-burning variety. However, the oven could be configured to run on wood – a feature used to market the product to poorer houses, _and_ as a redundancy in case a richer house's Dust ran out.

As Ren set to work frying the freshly-picked salmon from Limehouse, he began to picture what else the diminutive Irish lass might like in addition to the normal dish. _I mean_ , he reflected as he checked the fish's underside, _you can't do much with the lettuce, and vinegar dressing's in the same boat. I_ _could_ _decorate the cucumbers a bit, but there's_ _got_ _to be something else I can do to make the dish even better_.

As the fish was flipped over, Ren had a brainwave. _Fried basmati rice could work! I'm pretty sure Pyrrha's still got some in the pantry from two nights ago. As for serving it, I won't mix it in with the salad. Instead, I'll place it as a base on which the salad can be served._

The butler checked the underside of the salmon, then turned the heat onto a low setting to finish off the fish while he hunted in the pantry for the fried rice.

"There you are!", he crowed calmly, reaching to the top shelf with a stretch as he retrieved enough rice for Nora and himself.

Taking the fish off the hotplate, he filled a pot with water from the sink and put it on to boil while he expertly diced the fish. Placing the fish between two plates to preserve the heat, the butler then proceeded to work on slicing the lettuce and readying the vinegar dressing. The minute he finished, the water came to the boil. Ren gently placed a strainer atop the pot, then placed the rice into that with the appropriate lid.

"That won't take too long," he muttered absently. "Let's get the cucumbers decorated."

He did that by dragging a fork along four sides of a whole cucumber before slicing it up, as he'd seen Coco do whenever Chief Inspector Arc came for lunch.

The rice had just about finished when there was a knock at the door.

* * *

"Coming!", Ren called out.

He turned off the stove and walked out to meet his guest.

"Miss Valkyrie, how good of you to come," he started.

"Thanks for inviting me, Ren," she sung in response, curtsying in her hunting outfit.

"The salad's just about finished, so you know," Ren intoned as he led his guest towards the dining room. "I merely need to dish it up first, so feel free to take a seat."

"Sure thing, my friend!", the Irishwoman replied heartily, taking a seat facing away from the kitchen. Ren placed the rice down on the plates first, then laid down the lettuce leaves as though they were the petals of a flower. Next, Ren placed the decorated cucumbers in the centre of the plates, then sprinkled the diced salmon over the top of it. Lastly, he readied the dressing in a separate jug, and took it and the two plates out to the table.

After spreading her desired amount of dressing, Nora took a moment to appreciate Ren's creativity. _Even though no-one can get the "rusticness" of my mother's recipe right_ , she noted, _Ren's done the opposite and made it look like a Savoy dish. The rice is a nice touch too_. She eagerly tore into the salad, surprising her host slightly with her absurdly high enthusiasm. However, Ren took Nora's greedy consumption of the salad as a sign of the huntress liking what she'd been served with, and opted instead to take his time eating the salad.

Once the huntress was finished eating her meal, she decided to start conversation.

"So Ren, you remember those cads we fought off outside Neptune's shop?"

Ren paused with his fork halfway towards the plate.

"I do. Whatever happened to them?"

Nora's eyes widened and speech quickened as the raconteur within her took over.

"Well, I gave Neptune the descriptions of the two that evaded capture, and it turns out he'd encountered them shortly after he came here in 1880. He and his father were operating a cruise liner off the coast of Calais and got attacked by a small pirate vessel that those two fiends commanded. Scarlet David and Sage Ayana, they were called. Anyway, Neptune's father beat the stuffing out of them and sent them packing, but Neptune developed a fear of water as a result of that attack. In any case, the name of the ship was the Sea King."

"And let me guess," Ren replied, "these pirates sought to attack Neptune's shop because of the name?"

Nora beamed and nodded.

"Indeed. When I came back and gave Neptune the description of his would-be assailants, he told me all about that story and identified them. I then decided to go and check if they had bounties on their heads, and they sure did. 500 pounds for the both of them to be stopped."

Ren's eyebrows shot up in surprise; that amount would be enough for a huntress's needs for at least half a year, if not more.

"So, did you manage to apprehend them?"

"Yes and no. I stopped them and pinched their treasures, but they were bailed out before I could apprehend them. Some raggedy, slight woman in a rowing boat came from behind and rescued them, and I couldn't chase them down because I only had a canoe."

At this, Ren looked perplexed.

"What about the ship you fought them on? How come you didn't use that to chase them down?"

* * *

Nora's expression shifted again, this time to guilt.

" _The Wandering Mistral_ , as it was called, was sinking courtesy of a stray blast from Magnhild. I only had the time to recover the stolen items they had on board and get to safety."

Much to Nora's surprise, Ren cocked his head back and laughed.

" _Of course_ you blew the ship up; that mission you and Pyrrha did in Inverness last November ended the same way."

Nora pouted testily, which made Ren guffaw even harder.

"Except the thieves in Inverness got caught, and I got paid in full that time as a result."

Ren stopped his laughter instantly.

"If you don't mind me asking, Nora; how much did you get?"

Ren watched Nora's face fall into gloom, which had never happened since he'd met her.

"Since I did half the job, I earned half the reward."

Of course, the Irish lass left out the fact that she'd refused the other half out of principle, despite her benefactors offering to pay the full charge. Consequently, Ren's expression became quite sympathetic at that point.

"My apologies, Nora. I've been in that position before too, so I know how that felt."

"How so?", the Irish lass curiously replied.

"When I worked as a bouncer, I'd always get my pay docked when a bar brawl spiralled out of control."

Now, it was Nora's turn to stare wide-eyed at him.

"Really?! Well, I've got to ask, what was working for the Grimm like?"

In spite of Ren's initial assessment of the woman, Nora proved to be as attentive as she was verbose. As Ren calmly recalled how rewarding and beneficial it was with Arthur Watts at the helm, Nora stayed completely focussed on his words, whilst stifling her chatty nature by stuffing her mouth as gracefully as she could manage under her enraptured state of mind. "That's _awesome!_ " was Nora's only reply, before realising that her next shift with Neptune was about to start. As she hastily ran for the door, Nora said a quick, yet fond farewell to her host.

"I'll ring you soon, Rennie! Thanks for the food, and I'd love to hear more about you when I see you again!"

As soon as Nora closed the door behind her and waltzed off into the misty afternoon, Ren found himself contemplating what had just transpired. Nora talked too much for most people to find appealing, her bizarre demeanour would do nothing to endear her, and her happy-go-lucky nature clashed with Ren's disciplined stoicism. Given the differences between them, he shouldn't be interested in this woman. Not _biblically_ , at any rate.

And yet … he found himself drawn to Nora Valkyrie like a moth to flame.

* * *

 **A/N: Took me long enough.**

 **Anyway, it'll be a while before I post the next chapter, but I'm determined to finish this either before or when Goodbellas finishes (which should be at the end of the year).**

 **This is because I've started planning out the next work for the Belladonna Lilies AU (working title: "A Song of Weiss and Fire"). It will start with Team RWBY heading off to investigate the Autumn Maiden, picking up directly after the main fic's epilogue.**


	3. Double Date At The Savoy

Chapter Three: Double Date At The Savoy

February 6, 1890

The following Friday was something Ren had found himself unexpectedly looking forward to. As it turned out, Jaune's increased income had allowed him to acquire four amphitheater tickets for The Gondoliers, the latest effort from Gilbert and Sullivan. He'd long since planned to take Pyrrha along with Coco and Fox, but the latter had come down with a nasty cold two days beforehand and consequently had bailed with Coco. That meant that Ren had promptly been invited to an amphitheatre seat next to Jaune, with his choice of plus one for the event seated on his other side. There was only one person he'd even thought about inviting.

When lunchtime at the Nikos household finished on the day before, he strode purposefully towards the Kensington High Street station, taking the 1.15 train to Baron's Court with a nervous excitement unlike anything he'd felt before now. _I hope this double-date works in my favour_ , the young butler wished desperately. _I'd hate for Nora to be working on some bounty while I lap it up with my employer and her fianc_ _é_ _tonight._ He stopped his train of thought at this sentiment. _Good grief; I've_ _ **really**_ _fallen for this hammer-obsessed lass, haven't I?_

Alighting from the train station and striding up the stairs, Ren strolled leisurely towards the bungalow that Nora called home, which lay around the corner from Neptune's smithy on Talgarth Road. He wore a black great coat over his usual three-piece green suit, and looked impeccable and unflappable in the face of the winter snow. When he rapped his knuckles three times on the birch door, Nora answered the door with an unusual amount of modesty. This was chiefly due to the fact she had just showered and was wearing naught save a short bathrobe. The sight of the semi-nude metallurgist caused Ren to faint on the spot out of sheer embarrassment. He shakily regained his bearings as Nora blanched and ran inside.

"I'll be back in a minute!", she called out as Ren desperately tried to block out the recent image for the sake of his decency. The fact she'd just reminded him of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" didn't help matters either.

By the time Ren had stood up and regained his composure, the door was opened again by a figure clad in her magenta blacksmithing outfit.

" _Oh my_ _gosh_ _; I'm_ _so sorry_ for causing you to black out like that, Rennie!", Nora started quickly as she led her friend into her sitting room to the left of the door. "We had a Dust flare-up just before my lunch break; even though my apron took most of the blast, I still copped some soot on my face and arms. I was just finished in the shower, panicked when you knocked, and ran straight out to see what the fuss was about!"

Ren nodded uneasily at the woman's hurried explanation. "I understand and accept your apologies, Nora. Just remember to put on your clothes before you answer the door next time someone knocks, OK?"

Nora nodded glumly, then righted herself. "So, it's pretty parky out there. Would you like something to drink?"

"A strong black coffee, if that's OK," Ren responded calmly.

"Sure thing, Ren," Nora said with her usual verve.

* * *

As Nora bustled towards the kitchen on the right of the entry way, Ren took stock of the sitting room he found himself in. A worn, brown leather couch took pride of place along the exterior wall, with an oaken coffee table sitting between it and two recliner chairs on the opposite wall. A crimson/golden Dust fireplace stood to attention on the left, providing an artificial fire when wood wasn't available. Of course, it also functioned as a conventional fireplace with a chimney, and was presently awaiting nocturnal use for the latter purpose with wood standing ready in the grille.

The walls were painted a cream colour, and pink embroidered cushions adorned all of the seats within the room. Finally, his host's old smithing hammer was mounted on the wall, adorned with plenty of dings and scratches from a lifetime of use on the fields near Galway. _I wonder if Nora's ever looked at this_ ¸ Ren pondered, _and managed to remember how each and every beauty mark got on there. It's as though this very hammer harbours a story of her life._

A sharp whistle came from the kettle within the kitchen, and Ren was suddenly looking forward to the promise of strong coffee. Nora took the kettle and poured the hot water into a pot, which she'd already ground mid-priced coffee beans into. Next, she set the pot onto a tray with a milk jug and a sugar container, then placed a plate of ham and watercress sandwiches onto the plate for lunch. Once the tray was set correctly, Nora emerged from the kitchen doorway rather slowly, balancing the palette as well as she could manage. Ren arose from his seat automatically, his butler training kicking in to help his host.

"Need a hand, Nora?"

Nora looked perplexed and stood still for a moment, until recognition swept across her features.

"Thank you, noble butler, but I'm alright. I once posed as a waitress for three weeks to catch a fraudster within the Savoy Restaurant."

Ren's eyebrows arched completely up at this while Nora placed the tray on the table and sat down with him.

"Is that so? Well, I've got a little proposition for you."

Nora's eyes widened slightly in anticipation. "How do you mean?"

Ren fished out the spare ticket Pyrrha had given him, and handed it to Nora. "Well, Pyrrha and Jaune are going to see The Gondoliers tomorrow night at six-forty in the Savoy Theater, and they've got two tickets to spare. I've been given one, and I would like to know if you wish to come with me."

The effect this had on Nora was electrifying. For all her knowledge of high fashion and finery, Nora had never been to an event quite as prestigious as an opera. In her experience, she was content with entering posh places through the service entrance, doing whatever business the rich needed of her, then she'd leave promptly through the same doorway. To unexpectedly get an invitation to a Savoy opera was not just a privilege she'd never expected to see in her lifetime, but she'd also exercise her strong singing voice if she got the chance.

Not that Ren knew as much, of course. From his perspective, Nora's eyes had grown wider than he ever remembered, and her smile at that moment would've warmed the heart of Ebenezer Scrooge. Her voice, when it came, was filled with one emotion; pure, undiluted gratitude.

"O-of _course_ I can, Ren! I'd _love_ to come! Thank you _so much_ for this, you amazing sloth bear!"

Ren couldn't help but smile at Nora's apparent non sequitur compliment. After all, Pyrrha had said that sloth bears were the huntress's favourite animal.

* * *

February 7, 1890

At six-thirty the following evening, Ren arrived outside the Savoy Theater alongside Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Speaking of foolishness," Pyrrha started as the trio queued up outside the door, "I heard an excellent joke at work today."

"Is that right?" Ren asked.

"We'd love to hear it, darling," Jaune said encouragingly.

Pyrrha didn't fight the blush and shy smile that emerged, and got on with it. "Did you hear about the lunatic who tried to blow up a motorcycle?"

Jaune and Ren exchanged confused looks, then shook their heads mutely.

"He burnt his lips on the exhaust pipe!"

The reaction she got from the crowd gave Pyrrha the momentary fantasy of becoming a professional comedienne.

"So Ren," the policeman began as he gathered his composure, "who have you invited here tonight?"

"You'll see soon enough, sir," the ninja/butler replied with a smirk on his face. "It won't be one of your perps … I think," he added

"Know your place, you _servile_ _snarker_ ," Pyrrha replied with faux venom. The sound of her _attempting_ to sound irked caused Jaune and Ren to exchange amused glances, before breaking into laughter again. Despite herself, Pyrrha found herself giggling lightly as well, while she and the others entered the lobby.

The three of them promptly removed their great coats, handing them to the waiting bellhops, and waited for Ren's choice of date. Jaune looked spiffy in a black three piece with an azure tie. Pyrrha wore an exuberant outfit for her tastes; she'd donned a crimson, calf-length dress and black lace gloves. A pair of high-heeled, brown leather boots adorned her stockinged feet, and her lengthy auburn mane had been swept into a knot with her fringe left loose. Ren had worn a clean version of his usual green suit, but with a dark green bow tie, black wingtips, and a pink lotus in his left lapel. _The pair of them look like bloody celebrities_ , Ren observed jovially, _and the Savoy's lights do their best to convey that illusion_.

* * *

The lighting system within the Savoy Theater was unlike anything manmade when the place first opened in 1877. It was the first public building in the world to feature electric lighting – both on and off stage – and only the second building in the world behind the Schnee manor itself. Another commonality that these buildings shared at first was the unique colour-changing system some of their lights employed. The Schnees used them exclusively in their ballroom, and the Savoy used theirs for their stage craft.

In 1875, one of the SDC's optical physicists had been tinkering with dichroic filters, and found that when a pair of these were twisted in front of a light source, they changed the colour of said light. A colleague of his then added a pair of verdant Dust motors to turn and tilt the lights at will, and a third motor was quickly engineered to twist the filters. A simple control panel was the last to be built, consisting of a circular winch to control the twisting effect and a pair of levers for the pan and tilt functions.

The rudimentary luminaire was shown to President Johannes Schnee and a few of his investors by the scientist in question, where it drew a circle of ever-changing coloured light along the wall. Upon realising the potential market for highly advanced lighting systems, Johannes Schnee immediately loaned an advanced prototype of the Analytical Engine to the scientist and tasked him and several others with creating a light show for his next gala ball with the machine serving as the control centre.

So when the newly-dubbed Cosmo-Lights were unveiled upon the fortieth birthday of the President in the summer of 1876, the attendees present within Schnee manor were bewitched and astounded at the marvels of optical science. One of them was Richard D'Oyly Carte, who successfully pleaded with the president to use the revolutionary technology for his operas. Before long, he was handed forty lights, two fog machines and a more complex version of the initial control panel with an integrated Analytical Engine. And since that fateful day, every Savoy Opera became the crown jewel of the artistic calendar once it premiered. _This year_ , Ren noted, _they've rigged four more of the lights outdoors to provide a ballroom-styled entrance for their guests. The effect is, for lack of a more practical word, exquisite._

Ren continued to be lost within this train of thought when a dulcet voice called to him.

"Like what you see, Ren?"

Looking up towards the source of that voice, Ren found himself spellbound at the sight he beheld in that moment. The lights had turned to a blend of pink and white, which only served to accentuate Nora's appearance. She wore a form-fitting salmon dress that stopped just below the knee, with a pair of arm-length silk gloves that matched the colour of her pearl necklace. In place of the white riding boots she usually wore, the Irish huntress had purchased a pair of white high-heeled shoes, with matching pantihose visible on the feet and lower legs. And finally, her lengthy cap of hair had been teased into a low bun, with a faint coat of rose pink lipstick completing the look. The unearthly, ethereal grace that Nora harboured beneath her athletic frame was enrapturing and graceful in equal measure, and both Jaune and Pyrrha shared a knowing glance when they saw how Ren looked at his date. _He's hooked, line and sinker,_ their eyes seemed to say.

Ren _barely_ held his composure, but his smile was on full display here. "Nora, you look incredible. I now wish I had my kodakmaker with me, because I want to send a Kodak of you to Claude Monet so he can paint your picture."

Nora blushed crimson and let out a high-pitched, barely audible "Eep!" in response. Ren smiled warmly at his date's reaction, while Jaune began to feel strangely inadequate when it came to his own talent at flirtation, and the smirk on Pyrrha's face was strong enough to power Parliament House at opening time. _Of_ _course_ _I've hired a professional crawler_ , she thought in jest.

After Nora recovered, the quartet of friends made their way to the amphitheater seats Jaune had managed to score in advance. The suave policeman led the way with the fair archaeologist around his left arm, while the ninja and the huntress walked behind them, side by side.

* * *

At ten thirty that night, Ren was walking Nora back to the Nikos townhouse in the snow. Pyrrha had said that she and Jaune were heading over to Colonel Sir Noirtier Arc's large manor house in Buckinghamshire for the weekend. She'd also _firmly_ insisted that Ren put Nora up in her warm house for the night, with a knowing smirk on her face delivering the blatantly cynical subtext. _She and Coco have been getting on my nerves about this for weeks_ , he observed calmly _. But I'll succeed at winning Nora's heart; I'm fond of her, and it will spite both the gossip girls I know_.

"So Nora, that was your first experience of the Savoy Opera. How did you find it?"

"I _loved_ it! The singing was top-notch, and would go down a treat in Ireland if they ever had the inkling of showing more than works by Bernard Shaw and Wilde over there. The music was as high-class as I suspected, but the fact the lyrics were in English rather than German or French makes it so easy for people like me to enjoy the beauty of the work!"

Ren couldn't stop his smile from emerging. But then again, he didn't want to suppress it at all.

"I must say I agree. _The Mikado_ was the first Savoy Opera I ever went to, and I was grateful for being taught English and for being born and raised in Hong Kong. I would have been twenty then. It was very well put together, though I wish they'd hired Japanese actors for an opera set in that country."

Nora nodded understandingly. "Well, that's true. At least this time, it was set in a fictitious version of Venice. The gondoliers there sing all the time when they're ferrying people around."

Ren nodded, before he processed what Nora had actually said. "Wait, you've been to Venice before? What was that like?"

Nora looked positively _nostalgic_ as she recalled her visit there.

"Well, it would've been June last year, a few months before I met you and the others. I was assigned to a mission over there to retrieve some artefacts and paintings from an art thief. Sienna Khan, I think she was called. Anyhow, I travelled there by dirigible, and was able to apprehend her very easily.

"She'd taken to dressing unassumingly when posing as an art critic in England, with the exception of a tiger-coloured head scarf she routinely wore with the knot ends atop her head – like an extra set of ears. Anyway, I spotted that same scarf in the same hotel I'd checked into and got it done by that afternoon.

"After I sent off the stuff, I stayed for two nights as part of my payment for the job. It was unlike anything I ever imagined. The food was incredible, the sun was refreshing and warm, and the people are as friendly as any in this strange world we live in now."

She ended her reverent tale with a simple sentence that forced Ren's passion out of its cage. "If I ever married anyone, I'd love to take him to Venice for my honeymoon."

At that moment, Ren knew he'd die an unhappy man if he wasn't the one to take Nora on a Venetian honeymoon. _Never in my life have I been so sure of anything! I_ _must_ _have Nora in my life and by my side, here and forever._

What happened next took Leonora Jennifer Valkyrie by complete surprise. Lie Ren turned towards her, leant down, and proceeded to give her a _very_ passionate kiss on her cherubic, soft lips.

Now it was Nora's turn to faint.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope the Renora fluff was worth the wait. I've had immense fun with this one over the last couple of days.**

 **For those who might be wondering where the idea for the lights came from; it's analogous to the Vari-Lite system that basically invented moving light fixtures. It was developed for use in rock shows in 1980, and basically revolutionised the whole industry. True story: Genesis were the first people to use them, and even invested 1 million pounds in the tech when it was first invented.**

 **Anyway, the next installment will be the finale, and it will be at Coco and Fox's wedding. Stay tuned!**


	4. St Valentine's Favour

Chapter Four: St. Valentine's Favour

February 14, 1890

A faintly sunny winter morning played host to the wedding of Coco Adel and Fox Alistair the following week. It was quite fitting that they decided to get married on St. Valentine's Day. Though Dust itself had irreparably changed many facets of life in Europe, a number of traditions and institutions still persevered in the face of this. One of these was the humble neighbourhood church, which still proved to be a cornerstone of social life and an anchor to communities in an age where all other aspects of "the village lifestyle" had fallen by the wayside. Of course, the All Saints Church in Fulham wasn't "humble", but it had anchored the community since 1524 with no signs of slowing down.

The priest himself, a rather elderly man who spoke like a Dutch uncle, looked younger than his eighty-one years in the full regalia of an Anglican priest. After spotting a nod from the usher at the front door, he called the wedding to order.

"Welcome, everyone," he said as loudly as he could manage. "Today, we come to celebrate a wedding between Fox Alistair and Coco Adel under the watch of our Lord. First off, I'll introduce the groom and his party. Fox Alistair is the groom, Jaune Arc is the best man, and the groomsmen are Rory Alistair and Rowan Alistair, brothers of the groom."

The four walked out of the vestry in single file. Fox's brothers came first, standing to the right of the congregation. Jaune came next, positioning himself between Rory and the priest. And Fox strode towards his spot between Jaune and the priest. He stood tall and proud at the altar, as did his groomsmen. All four dressed in black tie, with matching patent black shoes and red peonies in their lapels.

"And now," the priest continued, "I shall introduce the bridesmaids; Nora Valkyrie and Pyrrha Nikos."

The bridesmaids had colour-coordinated for the occasion, meaning that Nora didn't wear a trace of pink on this day, and Pyrrha wasn't seen in red or brown. Instead, their dresses were white and floor length, with both women having their hair swept into buns. Even though it was unusual for Nora, the sight of a certain butler's amazement put her at ease. _At least I'm still bewitching my paramour_ , Nora realised happily.

Ren, meanwhile, was in tranquil bliss at the thought that just entered his mind. _I can't believe how incredible she looks in white_ , he thought peacefully. _This will be what I see at the altar someday; I_ _know_ _that now. It's just … unreal to behold this vista so soon._ Ren's state of being had changed considerably over the last month; whilst the butler had always been a calm and content figure, he'd always repressed any and all extreme emotions to the best of his ability, for the sake of his occupational duties. "He's bloody married to the job," Mercury Black had always said about him. But with an Irish blacksmith swiftly proving to be the love of his life, Ren felt a different version of contentment now. It was warm, inviting, and subtly cloying; this was quite unlike the contentment he'd always known, which was indifferent and cold, but all too constant and familiar to the man.

"Next, we have the maid of honour; Audrey Adel."

Coco's younger sister looked content in her dress, which was white as well. The only difference was a garland of daisies in her hair, marking her out as different from the bridal party.

"And finally, the bride: Coco Adel."

As the organist played Mendelssohn's Wedding March on the pipe organ, Coco slowly minced towards the altar with her father Enrico at her side. The former housekeeper went all out for her dress; like the others, it was white. Unlike the others, it had a train adorned with roses. Additionally, her head had a veil over it, with a floral headdress of roses and peonies holding it together. When she came to her spot on the stage, Fox pulled back the veil to see his beloved. Coco had forgone her polarised glasses and let her hair fall naturally, which was an odd look for a woman who almost always wore a beret.

* * *

"Welcome everyone," the priest spoke softly. "Today, we're here to mark the union of two people into holy matrimony.

"Today's reading comes from chapter thirteen of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians." The priest fumbled with the holy book as weathered hands flicked the pages to the bookmark he'd set the preceding day.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

"And these two hardy souls before us have endured and overcome many trials, in the hope of improving their lots in life. Fox dealt with and overcame his grey-scale vision, and Coco worked harder than most to survive in a city where she'd known no-one upon arrival. I feel certain, therefore, that their love will be all the stronger for their perseverance forged in the face of these challenges."

Ren nodded approvingly at the message. _Even though I'm unsure if there really is any divine being over our heads_ , he reasoned thoughtfully, _that was a fitting message for the occasion. I guess experience and hard graft counts for everything in this life_.

"Now, I'd like the best man to come forward with the rings."

Jaune fished the two rings out of his breast pocket; the ring intended for Fox bore a cushion-cut ruby, while Coco's featured an onyx cut in the same fashion. Both of these jewels were set upon a band of 24-carat gold, tuned specifically to their intended recipients. Once Jaune walked back to his place, the priest put down his bible and spoke again.

"These rings are the symbols of the vows here taken. They mark the beginning of a long journey together, filled with wonder, surprise, laughter, tears, celebrations, grief and joy. May these rings reflect the warmth of the lives that flow through them today. Two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another. May they grow in understanding and compassion. May the home that they establish be a place of peace, comfort and sanctuary. As I invite Fox and Coco to make their marriage vows I remind everyone here that this is the heart of the ceremony. The vows they make before us are sincere and binding promises that are intended to keep them together for the rest of their lives."

Fox spoke his vows first. "I, Redmond Fox Alistair, take thee, Coco Jacqueline Adel, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Coco responded in kind. "I, Coco Jacqueline Adel, take thee, Redmond Fox Alistair, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth."

At this point, Fox placed his ring on his beloved's finger, Coco doing the same, and completed the vows.

"With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

The priest smiled, then delivered his last sentence for the day. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Fox took Coco's hands in his own, leaned down slightly and enveloped her lips with his own. The congregation applauded and cheered, with eager jubilation written upon their faces. Jaune and Pyrrha in particular looked pleased, each imagining what their nuptials would be like on their day. And as the bride and groom signed the marriage certificate with Jaune and Audrey as witnesses, Nora and Ren shared a calm, but incredibly romantic glance. They knew that Jaune and Pyrrha's love had developed fairly quickly, but they were both content to let things play out more naturally – and their eyes seemed to convey that message, as though it were solidifying their position as soul-mate to one another.

* * *

As the congregation filed outside in the cool air with the married couple and their attendants, Ren and Nora sidled up to one another subtly and held hands as they walked towards the Golden Lion, a pub that dated back to 1455 that lay further north on Fulham High Street.

Once within the place, everyone outside the couple's immediate family was stunned to see that the main room had been transformed dutifully by the owners into a dining room, with an impressive spread provided by the mothers of the bride and groom. The fact that Fox was a moderately well-off accountant may have had some say in why this happened.

As the beers began to be poured and food dished up to the guests, Ren and Nora sat opposite one another with their plates. Much to Ren's amusement, both of them had gone for the salmon along with cucumbers and lettuce, and both had a glass of Riesling with them. The only difference was that Nora also had a beefsteak, whilst Ren had opted for a pile of mashed potatoes.

The first thing Nora decided to do, surprised that she would be so desirous to _take_ this course of action, was to remove both her shoes quietly and leave them on the floor. Once that was done, her short legs reached forward and stroked Ren's outstretched left leg; despite the risk of scandal this sort of flirtation was liable to incur, Nora found it _exhilarating_. She couldn't suppress a soft giggle when Ren looked down to the floor and blanched at her actions. When his eyes met hers, though, his expression wasn't embarrassed like she expected; instead, he looked somewhat amused.

"Nora, please stop it!", Ren playfully, yet softly complained while holding his fork aloft. "All your teasing will make me lose my grip on this and send things flying everywhere."

"Said the butler to the huntress," Nora replied calmly, before the pair broke into laughter.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we have it. Making the Shopkeep a priest in this world was the best last-minute decision I've had in some time.**

 **I must confess that I've enjoyed writing this one the most out of my fics thus far. Goodbellas will always be special as the first good fic I've written; Aeneus Idola was the result of the longest creative frenzy I've ever had (the first five chapters came out over 14 days of non-stop writing, along with the plans for the other six), and has the largest number of views (over 5000, last I checked).**

 **But this one was _always_ a pleasure to write.**

 **Anyway, I'll talk for a minute about my future plans. I'll still finish Goodbellas (and I'm close to finishing chapter 14 at the time of writing) this year; after that, I hope to be able to write two fics. One will be the fifth installment to this AU, and I've already made chapter titles and jotted down the basic plots for each of them - though the title is still drawing a blank at the moment. The second will be either a medieval adventure setting akin to WoW and DnD and other similar things, or a fic that has RWBY and JNPR star as the gods of Remnant - it's meant to be a blend of Greek mythology, "The Silmarillion", and "The Planets" by Holst. Time will tell which one I write first; the other one will be written at some point.**

 **Thanks to all of you who favourited, followed, and enjoyed this fourth addition to the wonderful Belladonna Lilies AU.**


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